Best Audiobooks of January From AudioFile's 

Best FICTION Audiobooks

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka | Read by Shivantha Wijesinha

AudioFile Earphones Award

[HighBridge Audio | 14.25 hrs.]

The 2022 Booker Prize novel is also one of its most compelling audiobooks. Shivantha Wijesinha, an actor and musician, gives the novel a voice. He is a very talented audiobook performer who brings to life a wide range of Sri Lankan characters with the same nuance and energy as the author. The story takes place during a violent time in Sri Lanka's recent history. It is often sad, but it is also deliciously clever and exciting. The narrator, who was recently killed, makes up a story in which the afterlife and the living world happen at the same time and the victim finds his own killer.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix | Read by Mikhaila Aaseng, Jay Aaseng

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Penguin Audio | 13 hrs.]

Narrator Mikhaila Aaseng gives a chilling performance of this horror story. Louise reluctantly returns to her family home after her parents die. As she’s forced to work with her estranged deadbeat brother in order to clean and sell the property, she learns that the house has other plans. Louise's voice is clear and logical, and Aaseng's perfect timing builds up the tension so that listeners can feel Louise's growing fear. Jay Aaseng tells a short part of the story from the brother's point of view in a casual way, showing horrifying facts.

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa | Read by Edoardo Ballerini

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Simon & Schuster Audio | 9.75 hrs.]

Edoardo Ballerini is in excellent form as he provides a gripping performance. Lilith is born into the omnipresent terror of Nazi Germany. Her mother eventually makes the heartbreaking choice to send her, alone, to Cuba, for the possibility of a better life. Once there, Lilith embarks on a second life, never knowing what happened to her mother while becoming a mother herself. People listening are taken from Germany to Cuba and New York City, and Ballerini's masterful performance makes the last parts even more emotional.

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Exiles: Aaron Falk, Book 3 by Jane Harper | Read by Stephen Shanahan

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Macmillan Audio | 10.5 hrs.]

Stephen Shanahan returns to portray Aaron Falk, who is in South Australia’s wine country to attend his godson’s christening. As he and the child’s father catch up, talk turns to a cold case involving a missing woman. Shanahan’s native Australian accent and easygoing tone help set the scene as Falk becomes ever more involved in helping his friends figure out what happened. Shanahan has a good understanding of the author's style because the dialogue and story flow naturally and are filled with emotions that make sense.

Rachel: A Play in Three Acts by Angelina Weld Grimké | Read by Leon Nixon, Tamika Katon-Donegal, Sean Crisden, Karen Chilton, Cary Hite, Adenrele Ojo, Shayna Small, Cortney Wright, Ron Butler

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Brilliance Audio | 3.25 hrs.]

Leading a cast of well-established, award-winning African American voice talents, Tamika Katon-Donegal gives a voice full of bright sensitivity, intelligence, and hope to Rachel, a young early-twentieth-century Black woman. When Rachel runs headlong into the real-life horrors of American racism, she doubts whether she can follow her dreams. The play was written by author, teacher, and activist Angelina Weld Grimké and first performed in 1916. Here, it is shown as a staged reading, with the narrator (Leon Nixon) giving directions and notes. A wonderful rediscovered gem of African American theater.

Best NONFICTION Audiobooks 

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama | Read by Michelle Obama

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Random House Audio | 10 hrs.]

Michelle Obama performs the follow-up to her bestselling memoir, BECOMING, giving listeners another peek at her life. This time, Obama aims to inspire listeners to become their best selves, giving practical advice and using illustrations from her own life. Her deeply personal stories show listeners how she has worked her way through obstacles. Obama creates a lovely sense of kindness and emotional intimacy that make listeners feel hopeful and ready to go out and face our chaotic world.

Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex | Read by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex

[Random House Audio | 15.5 hrs.]

Stifled by protocol his entire life, Prince Harry has a lot to say as he addresses rumors and lies in his memoir. His style of telling the story shows that he has a lot of emotions bottled up, and for most of the audiobook, he doesn't show much emotion. When he talks about his time in the military in Afghanistan, for example, his fear and anger come through. When he talks about his fight with his brother William, his pace quickens. Harry's journey is very interesting, and this audiobook gives you a look at the many feelings that lie beneath his calm, reserved exterior.

Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó Tuama | Read by Pádraig Ó Tuama

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Tantor Media | 7.25 hrs.]

Based on the popular podcast “Poetry Unbound,” this audiobook is a fine anthology of poetry as well as a very good introduction to how to think about poetry. Even old poetry hands will enjoy and appreciate Pádraig Ó Tuama’s brief and insightful essays accompanying each poem, as well as the poems themselves. Ó Tuama clearly has thought deeply about how poems should sound, and even the shortest here (only 10 words long) is given shades of meaning by his performance. As both a critic and a reader, he has a very good sense of how to understand poetry.

Waypoints: My Scottish Journey by Sam Heughan | Read by Sam Heughan

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Hachette Audio | 7.75 hrs.]

Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser on Outlander, talks about his trip along Scotland's West Highland Way, which is 96 miles long. In this atmospheric and interesting memoir, Heughan's life as an actor is used as a metaphor for the story. He gives a lively and heartwarming performance by telling stories about how he became an actor and how hard it was for him to walk across the beautiful Scottish countryside. His swoon-worthy Scottish accent highlights his charm and self-effacing humor, and the inclusion of live recordings made during Heughan’s hike, complete with the sounds of strong wind and heavy rain, are a lovely addition.

Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru by Hugh Bonneville | Read by Hugh Bonneville

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Random House Audio | 10.25 hrs.]

Hugh Bonneville’s memoir is funny, personal, informative, insightful, and fun to listen to. The British actor is one of the best in the world. He has a long list of credits and famous friends, and he also has a lot of funny stories about himself. Probably best known to American audiences as the Earl of Grantham in “Downton Abbey,” Bonneville has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He opens himself up with stories from his private life and takes us behind the scenes at “Downton.” This well-written memoir is told with the timing, speed, and skill of a storyteller with years of experience.

Original Source: bookmarks.reviews